The Long Way Down : Daniel Faust, Book 1

Nobody knows the seedy underbelly of Las Vegas like Daniel Faust, a sorcerer for hire and ex-gangster who uses black magic and bullets to solve his clients' problems. When an old man comes seeking vengeance for his murdered granddaughter, what looks like a simple job quickly spirals out of control. Soon Daniel stands in the crossfire between a murderous porn director; a corrupt cop with a quick trigger finger; and his own former employer, a racket boss who isn't entirely human.

Crimes Against Magic: The Hellequin Chronicles, Book 1

How do you keep the people you care about safe from enemies you can’t remember? Ten years ago, Nate Garrett awoke on a cold warehouse floor with no memory of his past and the only clues to his identity were a piece of paper with his name on it and a propensity toward magic. Now he’s a powerful sorcerer and a successful thief for hire, but it turns out that those who stole his memories aren’t done with him yet. When they cause a job to go bad, threatening a sixteen-year-old girl, Nate swears to protect her.

God Touched: The Demon Accords, Book 1

Chris Gordon is a rookie with the NYPD - one with a secret. In his spare time Chris is an exorcist without equal, with a gift from God. But when he saves a beatiful girl from a demonic attack, he discovers there is more to fear than just demons. Finding himself surrounded by vampires and were-weasels and facing a giant short-faced bear, Chris struggles to stay alive, all while protecting his deadly new girlfriend. And then there's her overprotective vampire mother!

Lost Soul: Harbinger P.I., Book 1

I'm the guy you come to when your spouse gets bitten by a werewolf, or your honey is kidnapped by a demon. I'm the guy who knows how to save you from an evil curse or angry vampire. At least, I was that guy until the Society of Shadows sent me to Dearmont, Maine, a sleepy town that had a zero rating on the supernatural occurrences scale. But when a woman hires me to find out if her son has been possessed by a demon at a rich kids' party, Dearmont goes from zero to hero.

Fated: Alex Verus, Book 1

Camden, North London. A tangled, mangled junction of train lines, roads and waterways. Where minor celebrities hang out with minor criminals and where tourists and moody teenagers mingle. In the heart of Camden, where rail meets road meets leyline, you might find the Arcana Emporium, run by one Alex Verus. He won't sell you a wand or mix you a potion, but if you know what you're looking for, he might just be able to help.

The Devil's Detective

Welcome to hell...where skinless demons patrol the lakes, and the waves of limbo wash against the outer walls while the souls of the damned float on their surface, waiting to be collected. When an unidentified, brutalised body is discovered, the case is assigned to Thomas Fool, one of hell's detectives, known as Information Men. But how do you investigate a murder where death is commonplace, and everyone is guilty of something?

London Falling: The Shadow Police, Book One

Detective Inspector James Quill is about to complete the drugs bust of his career. Then his prize suspect, Rob Toshack, is murdered in custody. Furious, Quill pursues the investigation, co-opting intelligence analyst Lisa Ross and undercover cops Costain and Sefton. But nothing about Toshack’s murder is normal. Toshack had struck a bargain with a vindictive entity, whose occult powers kept Toshack one step ahead of the law - until his luck ran out. Now, the team must find a 'suspect' who can bend space and time and alter memory itself. And they will kill again.

Harmony Black: Harmony Black 1

Harmony Black is much more than your average FBI special agent. In addition to being a practicing witch, she's also an operative for Vigilant Lock, an off-the-books program created to battle occult threats - by any means necessary. Despite her dedication to fighting the monsters threatening society, Harmony has become deeply conflicted about her job. Her last investigation resulted in a pile of dead bodies, and she suspects the wrong people are being punished for it.

My name's Cesar Hawke. I'm a witch working for a division of the government you've never heard about. The world's not what everyone thinks it is - unless you think that our world's a pawn in a game of chess between Heaven and Hell, and riddled with as much magic and wonder as it is with evil. In that case, the world is exactly what you think. My place of employment - the Office of Preternatural Affairs - takes a modern approach to an ages-old problem.

Black Spark: Dark Magic Enforcer Series, Book 1

I watched in horror as dark magic sprang from my hand faster than an imp after your socks. I didn't know my name, let alone that I had such power. The man was dead. I panicked. I ran. How was I to know I was a dark magic enforcer, tasked with keeping magic hidden from the world? Yeah, total noob move, I know. But my memory is returning, and the Hidden have given me 24 hours to make amends. Cover it up. Finish the job I was given, or else. Failure isn't an option.

Rivers of London: PC Peter Grant, Book 1

My name is Peter Grant and until January I was just probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service (as the Filth to everybody else). My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progression Unit--we do paperwork so real coppers don't have to--and finding a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously perky WPC Leslie May.

Sufficiently Advanced Magic: Arcane Ascension, Book 1

Five years ago Corin Cadence's brother entered the Serpent Spire - a colossal tower with ever-shifting rooms, traps, and monsters. Those who survive the spire's trials return home with an attunement: a mark granting the bearer magical powers. According to legend, those few who reach the top of the tower will be granted a boon by the spire's goddess. He never returned. Now it's Corin's turn. He's headed to the top floor, on a mission to meet the goddess.

Besieged

The ancient gods are alive and well in the modern world in this hilarious, action-packed collection of original short stories featuring Atticus O'Sullivan, the handsome, tattooed, 2,000-year-old Irishman with extraordinary magic powers from Kevin Hearne's
New York Times best-selling Iron Druid Chronicles.

Obsidian Son: The Temple Chronicles, Book 1

Nate Temple's all-consuming quest to avenge his parents is temporarily put on hold when shape-shifting dragons invade St. Louis. And perhaps cow-tipping the Minotaur for answers might not have been Nate's smartest opening move, because now every flavor of supernatural thug from our childhood nightmares is gunning for him. Nate learns that the only way to save his city from these creatures is to murder his best friend.

The Weirdest Noob

Something quite odd is happening in Second World - the planet's foremost MMORPG. Something that's causing alliances to be broken, and friendships, forgotten. A worthless low-level mine becomes the stage of vicious battles, its burned ruins suddenly contested by the game's toughest clans. Every border is controlled, and every road in the province blocked off. The weak players and NPCs alike are subjected to non-stop violent raids courtesy of Eastern invaders. And the strong are scouring the virtual world for the culprit - the weirdest noob the game has ever seen.

How to Be a Vigilante: A Diary

It's 1998. The Internet age is still in its infancy. Google has just been founded. Eighteen-year-old supermarket shelf-stacker Nigel Carmelite has decided that he's going to become a vigilante. There are a few problems: how is he going to even find crime to fight on the streets of Derbyshire? How will he create a superhero costume - and an arsenal of crime-fighting weaponry - on a shoestring budget?

Balance : The Divine Book One

My name is Landon Hamilton. Once upon a time I was a twenty-three year old security guard, trying to regain my life after spending a year in prison for stealing people's credit card numbers. Now, I'm dead. Okay, I was supposed to be dead. I got killed after all; but a funny thing happened after I had turned the mortal coil...

Extracted: Extracted, Book 1

In 2061 a young scientist invents a time machine to fix a tragedy in his past. But his good intentions turn catastrophic when an early test reveals something unexpected: the end of the world. A desperate plan is formed: recruit three heroes, ordinary humans capable of extraordinary things, and change the future.

Publisher's Summary

Daniel Faust, Las Vegas sorcerer and career criminal, has never pulled the trigger on an innocent man. When the infernal Prince Sitri challenges him to do just that, though, he can't walk away. His lover, Caitlin, is Sitri's right hand... and if Daniel refuses the job, he'll never see her again.

While Daniel works to unravel Sitri's twisted game, putting his principles and his life on the line, Caitlin has problems of her own. A pack of renegade half-bloods are in town, armed to the teeth and aiming to go to war with hell itself. Their leader is a bad memory from Caitlin's past, one she thought dead and buried centuries ago, and he's got revenge on his mind.

As if that isn't bad enough, the fallout from Daniel's last job descends in the form of an FBI task force, aimed at putting him and everyone he cares about behind bars. The feds have a magician of their own, one who knows all of Daniel's dirty little secrets. Throw in a mythical road map to hell and the ghost of a 15th-century serial killer, and the stage is set for a deadly collision.

Sitri's games are never what they seem. Everything is connected. If Daniel and Caitlin can't solve the puzzle in time, the consequences will tear them apart forever.

This was just as much fun as the first book in the Daniel Faust series. The whole series is proving so awesome that I'm happy to declare it my new UF favourite!

The story was a ton of fun. Craig Schaefer has an engaging writing style and Daniel is an easy character to root for. He is no angel, but he follows his own moral code and is never short of a witty remark along the way. I love the fact that the humor offers balance to some of the darker aspects of this series.

I think Adam Verner did a great job with the audio. He definitely got the tone of the story and his general narration was excellent. If I have a tiny criticism it is his chosen accent for Caitlain. She was supposed to be Scottish, not Irish! It does not hurt the story and if I see Adam Verner's name on more audiobooks I'll be happy to buy them.

This is the second book in this series. If you liked the first book you will like this one as well. I really enjoyed this book and the series as a whole. I only have two minor complaints.

First, more Caitlin would have been nice. I understand the reasoning but the author needs to have more developed supporting characters in his stories and she's about the only major character in the book other than the protagonist.

Second, the series is most definitely low magic in nature. I don't mind that, but I would like to see the main character use his magic more. There were reasons for this as well, but it was the same in the first book so I am sensing a pattern here. It would be nice to see what the guy is really capable of doing. Also, while he is doing a great job of describing infernal issues and politics we really have no good explantaion as to how magic works in this world and what it can do. I am hoping he explores these issues in more detail in future books.

Other than that this is a great series and lots of fun to read. This is very dark, adult story so leave the kiddies at home for this one. This is much closer to a Mike Hammer protagonist than a Harry Dresden and that is good. The main character is more real, flawed and interesting than alot of the more recent batch of heroes in current urban fantasy novels. I like a small number of pop culture references but some series are getting out of hand. Mr Schaefer avoids this and some of the more cutesy items you see in other series. Good for him as it helps the reader focus more on the characters and what is happening.

The best part is this book has a lot of twists and turns to it. I read alot so often the plot of a book is clearly evident and you know where things are going to end up. It is nice to have a book that keeps you a bit more off balance. While this book does stand alone you will definitely benefit from checking out the previous book first if you haven't already done so. This one is worth a credit for certain.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Glenn

Las Vegas, United States

05/04/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Excellent Continuation of the Series"

This was an excellent follow up to the first book in this series. It's easy to fall in love with the characters and root for them.. the action is fun and its's a good paced story.. there is a lot of room for growth and development of these characters... I look forward to the next one in the series!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

zman

11/09/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Exceptional"

Excellent story with perfect narration, an interesting plot that keeps you on your toes, and memorable characters.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

James

Powderly, KY, United States

06/08/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Good & Spooky Mystery"

Any additional comments?

Another good listen. The story/mystery element of this installment was much more fluid and rolled right along, you couldn't miss much without falling behind. Adam Verner does a nice job, but the only complaint I have is his snobbish villain voice, IMO makes the bad guy sound cartoonish. While there was little actual magic used, the story more than made up for it..... a good book is just a good book!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Angel Manuel Ortiz

21/07/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"I like it"

When I read the reviews I thought I would give it a shot and am pleasantly surprised. The story is engaging and keeps you in there. I am a fan.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

David Riemer

02/06/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Can't wait for the next book."

Any additional comments?

The story picks up where it left off in The Long Way Down and it is still just as interesting as before. There isn't a whole lot I can say that I havn't in my first review for the series accept if you liked the first one here is more of the same.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Paul

Bellevue, NE, United States

30/03/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"A nice take on the antihero"

Good story, in the vein of The Dresden Files. Different take though. Second book as compelling as the first. Narration is great. Pretty quick listen because the story compels you want to hear what's next.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

AudioBook Reviewer

Madison, WI, United States

08/12/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"YAY! Daniel Faust is back!"

This book is still very Constantineish. Hopefully Craig Schaefer takes this as a compliment because I love, love, love Constantine! I also really enjoy listening to Daniel Faust get himself into trouble. He is so good at it!

Redemption Song is book two of the Daniel Faust series. I most definitely recommend that if you have not read the first, to read it. There is a lot in here and very little of it is a reminder of what happened in book one. The big thing being how Daniel and Caitlyn got together, just to name one.

In this, Sitri, Caitlyn's boss, tells Daniel if he cannot kill an innocent priest, then he and Caitlyn will never see one another again. They both know that Daniel cannot do this and their entire relationship is based on this one decision.

Daniel, however, is crafty. He's also a wizard. So, of course he is going to do everything he can to get out of killing the priest and keeping the woman he loves. It's the WAY he does things that keeps the plot moving and me laughing!

The only thing that I cannot wrap my head around, and maybe this is me showing my true colors, but being in love with a demon seems a bit odd. I get that all people can be all types of things but Caitlyn is the epitome of a demon, although not quite a demon, she still does some stuff that the average person would be appalled at. Daniel is special, I'll give him that, but something about their relationship just rubs me the wrong way. Maybe I do not totally trust her, even though she has not really done anything to warrant that distrust.

The one thing that I am in love with is this plot! It careened through the elements of the story creating hills and valleys and flips and turns that I did not see coming from a mile away. Fantastically well written and very well narrated.

I enjoyed Adam Verner in the first book and he has the perfect voice for Daniel Faust, and great accents for everyone else also. I love his Caitlyn accent. I was hoping he would narrate the entire series and he does. He sets the bar quite high and hit it yet again. The audio was very well done and kept me feeling like I was in this world of wizards, demons, and angels. Scary thought!

Audiobook provided for review by the author.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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11 of 18 people found this review helpful

Arthur

18/09/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"a fun listen."

I tend to go for urban fantasy and this one delivers. Enjoyable and entertaining. still qoeking me eat through the series bit good so.far.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

MelHay

Adamsburg, PA

19/03/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"How is Daniel going to pull through this?"

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely! The combination of Adam's voice with Craig's writing is a great pairing to keep you listening and curious as to what will happen next or how Daniel will get through this.

What did you like best about this story?

Craig goes for the big punches. He has no worries about blood and gore. When the 'bad guy' hits, they hit hard and ugly. We start off with a bloody death in chapter one and the tension rises from there. Even though Craig writes dark, the story doesn't come across heavy. Daniel's personality helps lift the story, along with Adam's voicing of his dry humor.

We pretty much get the lowdown on what's happening in this complicated world of demons and magic in the beginning. So much happening at one time and Daniel's connections are all seeing something different. But it creates a wonderful feeding bed for so many possibilities.

The connections between all the problems is so well done. They are connected yet happening on their own, thriving off the others to help their selves. But, anything involving demons can't be easy and they would play off others to get what they want. I'm always mesmerized at the well thought out actions and interactions in Craig's stories. Wow.

Craig draws me in, paying close attention to details as there is always something happening. Just when you think things can't get worse. It does. And keeps you wondering how Daniel's going to fix it all. With all that's happening to Daniel, Craig timed it perfect - right when I was starting to not like the down and out Daniel, it hit Daniel why he was on this path and there is new revived life to the story and Daniel. The Daniel that's always thinking and scheming to come out the other end is the Daniel I enjoy. We get him at the start and when he returns, the story feels to jump in excitement once again. So two amazing skips of heart as we take off!

What about Adam Verner’s performance did you like?

I enjoyed the first audio book in this series, and the same holds true for this one which is done by the same voice, Adam Verner. I am always thrilled when we get the small extras with voices, like giving a vibrating sound to voices and such. Adam adds these extras in for us to give us the feel and sound of what's described by Craig. I love the personality Adam puts into the words as he narrates. He is in the moment as the character and it comes through. He also voices each with different tones to match the feel of the character, male and female, along with slight accents when noted. I love how easily Adam converts to the different tones, personalities, and accents keeping the story in a smooth flow. Amazing work.

Any additional comments?

Craig has crafted this story with many items needling Daniel. Daniel has a rough start in this book as things start to spiral downward for him in life. He's determined to keep trying through, and that doesn't always work out. All these things working at Daniel are important and come together at the end, or Daniel uses them that way.